Creamed Madness
by mercymia
Summary: This starts during the Rumors episode. Mercedes feels bad and wants to do something for Sam and his family, but what? She figures out a plan, but things take an unexpected turn.
1. Chapter 1

"My Dad lost his job and now we are staying in a motel, are you happy now?"

Mercedes watched in horror as Sam stormed off. "How could I have been so blind_,"_ she thought. She was so angry with herself. Glee club is about being comfortable with whom you are and having the people in the club who love you and be there for no matter what. She had failed being his friend. Sure, they didn't talk but she still cared for him and for her to believe a silly rumor was a new low. How could she believe that Sam, sweet, innocent, Sam was a cheater, especially with Kurt and Quinn? How could she have such little faith in them? Kurt was her best friend and for heaven's sake she had let Quinn live with her. She spent the rest of the day wondering through the halls in a zombie like trace. She just felt so awful and guilty. Finally the last bell rang and she went to grab a few things from her locker. Tina was already waiting at her locker.

"Hey Mercedes, are you alright?"

"I guess. This whole Sam thing has gotten me really upset. The fact that I was so quick to judge him and believe the vicious lies being spread about him makes me feel awful. I mean Glee club is supposed to be a family. We're supposed to be there for each other, no matter what. "

"Mercy, you shouldn't feel bad. You're human and we were all there judging him with you."

"Sure. I just feel like I should've been strong enough to stand up for him. But it's too late to change the past. I just wish there was something we could do."

"Well Quinn told us that he sold his guitar, so Finn and Rachel have decided to take up a collection to get it back for him." Mercedes reached into her bag to grab her wallet. She opened it up and pulled out all the cash she had.

"All I have is sixty bucks."

"That's more than enough."

"Okay. Let me know if you need more. I'll find more cash somewhere."

"Don't worry about it Mercy. Sam will get through this and we'll be there to support him." Tina reached to give her a hug. They said their goodbyes and Mercedes began the walk out to her car. She looked in her rearview mirror and saw Sam pulling out of the school parking lot, most likely on his way to work. All she thought about was the Evans family on her way home.

She pulled into her driveway and walked into the house. Her mother, as always, was waiting for her with an afternoon snack. As soon as Mercedes entered the kitchen her mom knew something was wrong.

"Honey what's wrong?"

"Nothing mom, just a long day at school."

"Now, sweetie, I have been you're mom for 16 years, and I know what a long day at school looks like and this, right here, is not it." Not wanting to deal with the repercussions if she resisted, she decided to tell her mom what was wrong.

"Fine. So you know Sam, right?"

"I believe so. Blond hair, blue eyes, big mouth?" Mercedes giggled at her mother's response.

"Yeah mom, him. Well his family has been going through some tough times and now him, his brother, his sister, and his parents are living in the dingy motel of 34th."

"Oh my." Ms. Jones sat shocked, looking at the table. She had been there before. Far from family with nowhere to turn. She looked up and saw that there was something else bothering her daughter.

"What else?"

"Well there were some rumors going around as to why he was in the motel and instead of asking him what was wrong I just believed what everyone told me."

"Which was?"

"He was fooling around with Kurt and Quinn."

"Now Mercedes Rae Jones, I know I taught you better than to believe silly little rumors. How could you believe that Kurt, your best friend would do something like that? You should've been at least able to talk to him about it. And the fact that you didn't support Quinn surprises me. I know you guys aren't as close anymore, but you invited that poor girl to live with us. She was like a sister to you. I know her track record with relationships isn't the best, but you should've had faith that she would do the right thing."

"I know mom. I just… I don't know. It seemed easy to believe the lies than to actually confront them about them. I realize now what I did was wrong and I want to make it up to Sam. I've already talked to Kurt and he forgives me and Quinn is too wrapped up in her own drama to care. The glee club is pulling together some money to buy him back his guitar, I just wish there was something more I could do. He's just a teenager. He shouldn't have to worry about this stuff. On top of Glee club, school work, and taking care of his family, he also has to work a night job. I look at my life and see that I've been so blessed and I just wish that there was some way that I could help him."

"Well Mercedes, I'm sure you'll think of something. Just pray about."

"Thanks mom." Mercedes finished her snack and began to walk to her room. She sat down to try to work on her homework but she couldn't concentrate. She just felt like there was something more she could do that to just give sixty bucks to buy him a guitar. All she could think about is how scared his brother and sister must be and that his parents must feel so awful. Parents want to provide the world for the kids and now they couldn't even provide a house. It was bugging her so much that she decided to take her mother's advice and pray. _Dear heavenly father, first of all I want to ask for your forgiveness for judging Sam. He needed help and I was too blinded to see it. Also I ask you to give me the strength to apologize to him for being so rude and for the ability to comfort him in this time of need. Also I ask to you watch over and protect his family. I also need your guidance in figuring out what I could do for his family and him. I know there is a greater plan you have here and I wish that you could just provide some insight for me. In your name I pray Amen._ Mercedes finished her prayer and then heard her mom call downstairs for dinner. She got up and began walking down her hallway. She realized how quiet the house was without her 3 older brothers. The two oldest had recently been married and were beginning to start families of their own. While the youngest of the three was in his junior year at college at the University of Florida (so he rarely came home). Taking in the silence she walked downstairs and saw her father in the kitchen. She went up to him, gave him a hug, and washed her hands for dinner. They sat down at the table and her father said grace and the three remaining members of the Jones Family began to eat.

"Mom, this chicken is amazing, but why did you make so much?"

"I couldn't figure out how to cut the recipe in half so now we have all this extra food." Mercedes grew quite thinking about how Sam's family will probably have a cold dinner tonight and Sam might not even eat at all, because that's just the type of guy he is. He knows his family needs to save and he cares for his siblings so much that he would rather starve than see him hungry. Looking at all this extra food, she then realized what God was trying to show her. She looked up suddenly, with a smile on her face.

"Baby, what's up?"

"Did mom tell you about my friend Sam?"

"Yes she did, and I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Why?"

"Well seeing as we have 3 extra bedrooms in this house, I was wondering. Do you think his family could stay here?" Her mom stopped mid-chew.

"Sweetheart, this is not a days- inn. Every time one of your friends is in trouble we can't move them in."

"But mom, as a Christian home we're supposed to help the needy and Sam and his family are very needy. Think about it. We have the extra space; you're home pretty much all day so you could help with the kids. Sam wouldn't have to worry about work and could focus on school while his parents could focus on job hunting instead of worrying if their kids are going to have a roof over their heads and a hot meal for dinner."

"Baby girl, I just don't…"

"Dad, you have provided my brothers and I a life that most people would've have never thought possible. We have so much, which also means we have so much to give. Imagine if we were them. How awful would you feel knowing that you could not provide for us?" Mercedes' dad lowered his head. "And Mom, you were always able to be there. You only had to work when you wanted to. How many kids have the privilege saying that their mom had an afternoon snack ready for them, every day,when they walked through the door?" Her mom sat silence. "All I'm asking is that you put yourself in their shoes and think about how it feels." Mercedes' dad looked up.

"Now Mercy, I've heard you, loud and clear. I would like to talk to your mother about this before we make any decisions."

"Okay Dad." Mercedes looked at her mom and saw that she was crying.

"Mom, is everything okay?"

"No. But it will be. Thomas, there is nothing to discuss the Evens' family is going to stay with us."

"Honey, we need to talk about this."

"No, we don't. Do you remember, right after we had Tyler, you were still in school trying to get your degree and with all the loans and the recent medical bills, we just couldn't take it. And that family from the church, the Bynum's, saw us on being thrown out of our apartment, they picked all of our stuff up and said you're living with us, we won't take no for an answer . They let us stay with them till we got back on our feet. Which was another year. They helped me learn how to be a mom and they helped you learn how to be a provider. Now we have to return the favor, through the Even's family. If it makes you that upset I'll work part time to cover the extra bills but I'm not going to let that poor family stay in that dingy motel." Mercedes waited in anticipation for her father's reaction. He folded his hands and sat silent for a moment.

"You right Christine. They're staying with us. Go get your guys' coats. There's no use in letting them stay in that hotel room any longer." Mercedes' jumped up and grabbed her coat.

"Should we take two cars so we can get all of their stuff tonight?"

"That's a great idea, Mercy you drive the expedition, your mom and I will take the sierra." Mercedes grabbed the keys and began on her way to 34th street. In the car she had this peace about life in general. She knew this is what God wanted her to do. She said a pray of thanks and a prayer that Sam's family would be willing to come. She looked in her rear view mirror and saw her parent's car behind her. After about a 15 minute drive she saw the neon sign and excitement overran her body. She pulled into an empty parking spot and hopped out her car, her parents only a few steps behind.

"Now Mercedes, we want to talk to Sam's parents alone, so you're going to take Sam and his siblings out to dinner or out for ice cream or something."

"Okay daddy." As they approached the door they could hear sounds of Sam's guitar and Mercedes couldn't wait to hear those sounds coming from down the hall. Mercedes knocked on the door and a man slightly taller than Sam with dark hair, but with those same piercing blue eyes, opened the door.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Evens?"

"Yes."

"My name is Mercedes Jones; these are my parents Christine and Thomas Jones. I'm a friend of Sam's from the Glee club, we'd like to come in and talk."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So this chapter is kind of short so I'm updating sooner than I thought. Review Please :) **

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><p>"Sam has told us about you Mercedes and from what he tells us you're a great friend, so your family is invited in." When Mercedes heard that Sam talked about her, she began to blush at the thought that a guy like Sam would find her mentionable to his parents and then she blushed even more because she felt embarrassed for herself due to the fact that she had been such an awful friend. She cleared her mind of those thoughts. She was going to be there for Sam now and she was never going to let him down, as a friend, ever again. Mercedes and her family walked in. A woman, a little taller than Mercedes with long blond hair and a smile that radiated through the room, began making her way across the room with two small children at her side. Sam looked confused as he saw Mercedes parents walk in, but smiled when he saw Mercedes.<p>

"Hi. I'm Lily Evens. It's nice to finally meet you Mercedes. Mr. and Mrs. Jones it's a pleasure to have you. You've just met my husband Charlie. These are our two youngest Stevie and Stacy and of course you guys know Sam." With their family huddled together, Mercedes could see that even though he got his father's height, but his shining personality came from his mom. Mercedes' dad step forward to shake everyone's hands, followed by his mom giving everyone hugs.

"Actually I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Sam, but Mercedes has said wonderful things about him." This statement made Sam smile even bigger, but then the smile quickly turned back to confusion. He spoke up.

"So what can we do for you guys?" Mrs. Jones stepped forward.

"Well, my husband and I wanted to speak to your parents, alone preferably. Have you guys eaten dinner?" Stacey, not being as shy as she seemed, opened her mouth to speak.

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry!"

"Me to," said Stevie. Lily bowed her head embarrassment. Mr. Jones, knowing the embarrassment she was feeling, spoke up again before the room became awkward.

"Well, how about Mercedes treats you guys to some ice cream? Of course, it has to be okay with your parents."

"Please mom, can we go get ice cream? I promise to be extra good!" Stacey was smiling so big, Mercedes swore her cheeks were going to pop.

"Sure, let me go grab some cash." Ms. Jones shushed her.

"What don't you understand about Mercedes' treats them?"

"Are you sure?"

"A hundred percent."

"Well in that case, grab your coats, and behave for Mercedes and Sam."

"We will" the two youngest said in unison. They grabbed their coats and headed out the door with Sam and Mercedes on their heels. As the door closed behind them they could hear Ms. Evans ask what Mr. and Mrs. Jones needed and all Mercedes could do was smile.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: The song played is Buckwheat Boys: Ice Cream and Cake... Also I apologize for the last chapter being so short, I couldn't figure out a way to lengthen it, hopefully this makes up for it. This is my first time writing fanfic so I'm still trying to figure stuff out. Also the italics are what they are thinking, I tried to make it as clear as possible to who was thinking what. Review please :)**

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><p>They headed to Mercedes SUV. Stevie and Stacy already seemed like they already had a sugar high.<p>

"I scream for ice cream," they both w. ailed.

"Please hurry up Mercedes! Unlock the doors! My tummy is hungry for some ice cream!" Stevie began rubbing his stomach.

"I want a scoop of vanilla, a scoop of chocolate, oh a scoop of cookie dough."

"Whoa Stacy don't get too carried away. This isn't our money."

"Sam, don't stress. This is a stress free night. You guys can get whatever you want-cherries, bananas, sprinkles, chocolate syrups- anything you guys can think of…this also includes you Sam." She flashed him one of her dazzling smile. Sam couldn't help but smile back at her. _Mercedes was always so nice and so caring- I mean there was that one week she went all crazy diva, but hey Rachel does that every day-and her smile, God her smile, it was nice... Nice, what am I thinking, her smile is gorgeous. _He realized he was staring and looked away.

"Thanks Mercedes," said Stacy and Stevie.

"Yeah, thanks." Though he enjoyed his brother's and sister's happiness, he wish that he didn't need someone else to pay for simple things like ice cream treats. He began thinking about how he needed to work more hours. He only worked three nights a week, but he needed to up it to at least five. Though his parents were looking for jobs, he was pretty much the only person bringing in extra cash. The stress of being in this situation overwhelmed him and he had no idea what he was going to do.

Mercedes put the key into the ignition and got ready to pull out when she noticed Sam looked a little out of it. _There's so much going on in that head of his. The stress he must put on himself, I can't even come close to._ She smiled at him, even though he wasn't looking._ Well after tonight he won't have to worry anymore._

"Everybody have their seatbelts on?" A yes rang from the back seat. Mercedes looked over at Sam, who didn't even seem to be fazed by the question.

"Well, I didn't hear everybody say yes and if that's the case then we can't leave. So I'm going to ask again, does everyone have their seatbelts on?" Still only two yeses came from the backseat. Stacy began kicking Sam's seat which got his attention. Sam stopped zoning out and looked slightly confused.

"I feel like that still wasn't everyone. I guess we can't leave." Mercedes shrugged her shoulders towards them and got ready to pull her keys out of the ignition. Stacy and Stevie protested in the back seat.

"SAM WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU JUST SAT YES! ASK AGAIN MERCEDES! PLEASE" Still confused at what was going on, Sam looked at Mercedes.

"Alright the last time, does everyone have their seat belts on?" The little ones in the back said yes and then stared at Sam. Sam, now with a clue as to what was going on, looked at Mercedes and practically whispered, "Yes."

"What was that I couldn't hear you?"

"Come on Mercedes"

"Eh- if I can't hear you it doesn't count." She began to lean in. He waited to the right moment and screamed," YES!" She jumped back startled and the entire car began to laugh uncontrollably.

"Well then, thunder cats are GOOOOO!" Mercedes threw the car into reverse and made her way to a little ice cream parlor in downtown Lima. Sam looked in awe once she made the 1980s cartoon reference. _Maybe there's a little nerd in her._

"Can we listen to some music?" Stevie asked from the back seat.

"Of course, I'm always in the mood to jam." She pulled out her IPod and picked the perfect song for the car ride.

_Ice cream and cake and cake _

_Ice cream and cake and cake _

_Ice cream and cake and cake _

_Ice cream and cake and cake _

She heard little voices from the back seat squeal with delight.

"WE LOVE THIS SONG!" Mercedes cranked it up and all four of them began jamming out, singing out at the top of their lungs, with the windows down.

_Ice cream and cake _

_Do the ice cream and cake _

_Ice cream and cake _

_Do the ice cream and cake _

In no time they arrived at the ice cream parlor.

"My throat hurts from singing so loud," Sam said.

"Well let's get something to sooth that throat, like ice cream, because WE'RE HERE!" Stevie and Stacey couldn't help yell in excitement.

"Why don't you guys run inside and get us a table and start thinking about what you want to eat, I need to talk to Mercedes for a second."

"Oooo are you guys going to kiss?" Mercedes blushed, _like Sam would want to do that. What am I saying, like I would want to do that. We're just friends, soon to be housemates, can't start thinking that way._

"What? No Stacy. How do you even know what kissing is?'

"Sam, I'm 9. I might as well be a grown up by now."

"Whatever Stacy, you'll always be my BABY sister. Just go inside, I just need to talk to her about some teenager stuff. We'll be in in a second."

"Okay, whatever you say." The two children sprinted into the parlor. Mercedes saw them through the window pick a booth and began gawking over the menu. Mercedes then looked at Sam, confused for a moment, and then realized what he most likely wanted to talk about. She decided to take this opportunity to right a wrong.

"Mercedes-"

"Sam, wait, first off, can I apologize for believing those nasty rumors about you. You needed your friends to be there for you and we failed you, me most of all." She looked away from him, still ashamed of how she acted.

"I just feel awful. I should've realized something was wrong and talk to you about it first instead of believing the gossip. I was wondering if you could forgive me and allow me to be a better friend to you." Sam looked at her, grabbed her cheek, and turned her head. He could see that she really did feel bad about what happened even though he didn't blame her for anything. If she didn't know what he was going through, how could he blame her? The shame that he could see that she was feeling was heartbreaking and all he wanted to do at that moment in time was make her feel better.

"Of course I forgive you Mercedes. I know you didn't mean any harm by it. I should've been more willing to tell you guys what was wrong. I don't blame you for anything, but I appreciate your apology." Mercedes realized she hadn't been breathing. His hand was so warm on her cheek. She didn't know what to do; should she grab his hand, move closer, move further away, she needed to proceed very cautiously. She decided to just put her hand on his other hand which was resting on his lap.

"I just want you to know it won't happen again. And I'm here for you no matter what."

"Thanks Mercedes." They lingered in the moment, and then Mercedes pulled back. Sam released his hand from her check.

"So I'm assuming you want to know why my parents want to talk to your parents."

"You read my mind." _If only I could_, Mercedes pondered. She felt like Sam liked her, but she couldn't really tell. Maybe he was just a touchy feely kind of guy, really in touch with his emotions. She didn't want to over think it, so she decided to inform him on what was going on.

"Well I was concerned about your family and I wanted to do something special for you guys. I decided to pray about it and it came to me over dinner, you guys should move in with us." Sam smile disappeared, he seemed shock.

"What?"

"Shush, I'm not done. I then proceeded to ask my parents and they agreed."

"No. We couldn't possibly burden-"

"First off, I already love you." Sam's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of his head._ She just said she loved me. She probably didn't mean it like that, but what if she did. What am I thinking? She would never think that about me._ Mercedes realized what she said and knew that death by embarrassment was on its way. She had to think of some way to fix it.

"Well I mean I love all you guys in glee club. Even Rachel, though sometimes she can be a pain, you guys are like my second family." Sam's eyes looked to relax and go back into their sockets. _See I knew she would never think like that._ For some reason he felt disappointment, he didn't really know why, but he tried to shake the feeling.

"And your family seems awesome so you guys are not going to be burdens so don't even think that. Ever."

"But my family will never go for that."

"Sam, you know how hard headed I am."

"Well yeah. I mean you are Mercedes Jones. The Beyoncé of the glee club, you get what you want."

"Multiply that by a hundred and you get my mom, multiple that by another hundred you get my dad. We're not taking no for an answer." Sam giggled. _Arguments in the Jones' house must be interesting._

"My parents know your parents are going to struggle with accepting help so we thought it'd be easier to talk about without your siblings there which is why we're at this lovely establishment."

"But Mercedes…"

"But nothing, its settled. You guys need a home and a motel is not going to provide that. We have plenty of room and until your parents find work it'll be a nice temporary home. My mom can help take care of your brother and sister and you can focus on school and glee rather than where dinner is going to come from. You're a teenager and you don't need that burden on your shoulders." Mercedes took a breath and just looked at Sam. He had tears streaming down his face. He turned his head. _She shouldn't have to see me like this. I'm supposed to be a tough guy._

"Sam?" She placed her hand on his shoulder. He turned his head more turn the window.

"This is the second time I've cried this week. I need to pull it together, I'm such a wimp." He shook his head.

"You've had a lot to hold in and now you can let it out. You're not a wimp. You're one of the strongest people I know." Mercedes reached over and wiped the tears of his face.

"Trying to take care of your family and going to school and playing sports and everything else you do, I'm surprised you can remember to breathe." Sam looked at her and chuckled.

"It's just been so hard. I want to help my family but my grades are already trying to fall and I mean I know you guys bought me my guitar back but the tips I make are barely enough to cover the motel fee, let alone food, and my brother and sister come first, and-"

"Sam!" He paused midsentence.

"Breathe." He took a slow breath in.

"Now, you don't have to worry anymore. I'm always going to be there for you and my family is here to support you now to." She reached over and gave him a hug. Again, they lingered, just taking in each other's warmth. Sam was first to let go this time and wiped his eyes. Sam saw that Mercedes had also been crying. Seeing Sam so full of emotions hand made her emotional. She wiped her eyes to and they began to laugh hysterically. Suddenly, they both heard a banging and looked up to see Stacy and Stevie banging on the window, gesturing them to hurry up.

"It looks like they're getting ready to tear the place down if we don't hurry up and get in there."

Mercedes giggled, "I can't wait for them to terrorize my house." Sam gave Mercedes a half-smile that made her heart melt.

"Thank you Mercedes… For everything."

"Sam we're a family and we do what needs to be done for family." They both got out the car and headed towards the parlor, both excited about the new door that was being opened.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! It really encourages me to keep up with it! Enjoy this new chapter and review please! **

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><p>After tummies were full from the ice cream, Mercedes and Sam decided it was time to head back the hotel. Mercedes hadn't heard from her parents but she hoped everything went well. The time at the ice cream parlor was everything she hoped for. They all had a great time and got ice cream all over the place. Sam was a little hesitant at first (being self-conscious about his physique and all) but Mercedes assured him that eating whatever he wanted at this point in time would not make him unattractive. His eyes lit up at the thought of Mercedes finding him attractive. Mercedes gave a slight blush. <em>Just because I think he's attractive, doesn't mean I like him…right?<em> They were all making jokes about each other and Stevie and Stacy were good sports and when the waitress came for their orders they became even more excited. Stevie got a chocolate dipped waffle cone with three scoops of cookie dough; Stacy got a soft served vanilla in a sugar cone covered in sprinkles and Sam and Mercedes decided to spilt a banana split. The conversation did not stop. Everyone had something to say at all times, but mostly Stevie and Stacy talked, with Mercedes listening intently and Sam laughing, remembering the various stories they were telling. By the end of the night Mercedes knew pretty much everything about them- from their birthdays to their favorite color to embarrassing secrets that were told by the other. _If this is how they always are, dinners are going to be interesting._ Mercedes and Sam were sitting next to each other; she couldn't help but notice how warm he was and how every time they accidentally touched a shock of electricity was sent through her body. She also saw how much his brother and sister adored him. He was like a superhero in their eyes and she could she why. Sam was everything anyone could ever want. He was sweet, caring, funny, attractive, strong, supportive, protective, and even though he was really corny it was that more endearing. She had no idea why Quinn and Santana let him go. _Gosh, what am I thinking? Sam would never be interested in me like that and WE'RE MOVING IN TOGETHER, the rumors that would start._ Mercedes paid the bill and left the lady a generous tip, they did make a mess.

"Thanks Mercedes! That ice cream hit the spot!" Stevie giggled as they walked back to her car.

"I think I might die of sugar overload!" Stacey screamed.

"Sam, the amount of ice cream you can eat is a bit ridiculous!" Sam gave a half smile. He did eat more than his share of the ice cream, but he did give Mercedes both cherries to make up for it.

"Well Mercy I like sweet things." She was sure at that moment in time he winked at her, but then again she had eaten tons of ice cream too, maybe the sugar was laying mind games with her.

"Does everyone have their seatbelts on?" Everyone responded with a happy, but very full yes. They then began the ride home, Mercedes and Sam buzzing with excitement to see how everything went. They pulled up to the motel and it took everything for her not to jump through the window and run up to the front door. Mercedes calmly parked the car and everyone hopped out. Sam walked up to the door and knocked on it, even though he lived there he thought it would be weird just to barge in. A muffled "come in" was heard through the door. When they walked in they saw Lily Evans sobbing into Christine Jones' arms while Charlie Evans was giving a hug to Thomas.

"Mommy, daddy, what's wrong?" ask Stevie. Mrs. Evans kneeled down so she could be eye-level with her children. Sam looked over at Mercedes with the goofiest smile.

"Guys, Mr. and Mrs. Jones have offered to let us stay at their home until we can get an apartment."

"So we're getting out of this stinking motel?"

"It looks like it!" The two youngest Evans ran up to their parents- Stevie almost knocked over Mrs. Evans and Mr. Evans picked Stacy up and spun her around.

"Though we appreciate you hugs, you really shouldn't be hugging us." The two let go of their parents and ran to the Jones family, giving them hugs that assured them that they had made the right choice to let them stay with them.

"THANK YOU! THANK YOU!" They were jumping and hugging and smiling and screaming and just…relieved. Sam observed from the side and felt tears coming._ Come one, not again. I have to hold it in_. Mercedes looked up from the small children grabbing on to her and saw Sam standing in the corner, trying to do anything but cry. She snuck away from everyone, even though it was a small room-she still managed to do it-, so he didn't have to worry about his family watching.

"I already told you it's okay to cry." He pulled her into a hug and just began sobbing in her shoulder. When she told him the first time about her plan, he was happy and emotional, but to see how his brother, his sister, and his parents reacted was too much for him. Through the sobs, he whispered, "I will never be able to thank you enough." She pulled back to look at him, but didn't break the embrace.

"Well that just means we'll have to stay friends until you can." Mercedes pulled him back in closer and just stood there until he was ready. Though he was crying, Mercedes felt really safe in Sam's arms and enjoyed being the one to comfort him in his time of need. Now everyone was looking at them and Sam decided he was ready to let go. Sam cleared his throat and smiled.

"Well then guys, I guess it's time to start packing up." Since the Evans had recently moved everything into the motel, they had all the boxes and seeing as there were seven of them and the hotel room was the size of a closet, it took less than an half an hour to get most everything packed up. Mercedes volunteered to lower her back seats and have all the boxes be out in her car and seeing as there was a seat open Sam volunteered to ride with her back. Though the ride was only 15 minutes he wanted to have some more alone time with Mercedes. Even though they were probably going too tired to talk, being in her company just made him feel better. Since there were only a few boxes left to be packed and loaded, Sam and Mercedes told their families to go ahead and check out, then head back to the house. They could see that Stacy and Stevie were tired and tomorrow would be a busy day unpacking and getting the rooms separated. Tonight the Evans family would disperse themselves into whatever room they felt like but tomorrow they were going to actually put thought into who was sleeping with who and which room. With a skeptical look both set of parents asked if them if they were sure they could handle the rest of this and with a confident smile Mercedes reassured them that everything would be fine and Sam nodded in agreement.

"Okay, now you two behave and hurry up and get home. We start bright and early tomorrow and I don't want to hear any whining from you little missy about not having enough beauty sleep." Mrs. Jones walked to her daughter, gave her a hug, and made her way out the door. Sam's parents came and gave him a hug and followed right behind. Stevie and Stacy were so out of it that they had already been sitting in the car for the last 10 minutes.

"Well, let's not waste any time; let's hurry up get these boxes packed, because I do need my beauty sleep." Mercedes joked as she threw a role of tape at Sam, which he caught with ease. They spent the next 10 minutes in silence, working diligently. Both were smiling so it wasn't really an awkward silence, just a comfortable silence. All of a sudden Mercedes began humming a song. The tune seemed familiar to Sam; he just couldn't place the song. He listened more intently and decided that before he went crazy, he was just going to ask her what she was singing.

"Mercedes, what are you singing?" Mercedes looked up, not realizing she was being listened to. She blushed.

"Oh it's nothing, it's just a song I thought of that would describe this situation. It's kind of dumb. I'll be quite."

"No, that's not necessary. I just want to know."

"Fine. Umm you've probably heard it before, na na na nah, na na na nah, hey hey hey, goodbye. I just felt like you know you were leaving this place and you could now kiss this place goodbye."

"I've heard that song and I completely agree with you. It's not dumb at all." Sam began singing and Mercedes joined along and since neither one of them really new any of the words to the song they made a game out of it by coming up with new lyrics. Sometimes it dealt with moving, sometimes it was random things and sometimes they just messed up entirely and when that happened they would burst out in laughter and start the game up again. In no time they were finished and loading the last box into the car.

"Whew, well that's the last of it. Say goodbye to this crappy motel."

"Motel, you have been the worst thing that has happen to me and I hope that we never have to meet again."

"I didn't think you'd take me seriously!" Sam blushed. _Gosh, she probably thinks I'm such an idiot_. He looked at Mercedes and saw that she was giggling. She wasn't trying to make fun of him; it was just something she didn't expect. Mercedes sat down in the driver's seat.

"Alright, time to peace out. Do you have your seatbelt on?"

"Mercedes, I am a grown man, you do not need to ask me that question, every time we get into the car."

"The car doesn't start till I hear a yes."

"Mer-"

"Shh. That doesn't sound like a yes to me." Mercedes had a straight face on and didn't take her foot off the break.

"So is your seatbelt on? I'd like to be home sometime tonight." Sam thought about what he was going to do. He leaned in really close to her, just like earlier and as loud as he could, he screamed, "YESSSSSSSSSSS."

"Sam! Chill out! You don't have to scream." Mercedes roared with laughter, threw the car in reverse, and as the pulled away from the motel, Sam looked in the passenger side mirror and hoped that he would never have to see this motel again. The ride home was mostly silent, but one thing was pressing on Mercedes and so she decided to bring it up.

"So, we sounded pretty good in there."

"I guess we did. I didn't think we would." Mercedes gave him an eyebrow raise.

"I mean I think you have an awesome voice, you're just so sassy and bold and I'm just well, I'm just me." Mercedes giggled.

"Yeah, I guess I get what you're saying." He moved back in offense and she smiled at him to let him know she was joking.

"But seriously, it works. We should sing a duet sometime in Glee."

"That sounds awesome Mercy. I think we could even beat Rachel and Finn."

"True!" And the rest of the car ride was silent.

"Well home, sweet home." Mercedes smiled at Sam. The amount of hope that was in his eyes, surprised her, but she thought about it. _With everything he's been through, the only way things can go is up_. Sam grabbed his overnight bag from the backseat and they headed inside. The house was quiet.

"I guess we were gone long enough for everyone to fall asleep."

"Well we did take a little bit and plus everyone was exhausted." They headed up the stairs and down the hall. Stevie and Stacy took the room next to Mercedes. It had a bunk bed in it. For some reason Max, the second oldest wanted a bunk bed for when his friends slept over and even when he went into high school he wouldn't part with it. Momma and Papa Evans were across from them, so the room across from Mercedes was the only one left.

"Well I guess this is your room for the night. Ummm if you have any questions or concerns, honestly, right now, I'd prefer you have them wait till morning." Sam gave a quiet chuckled. He loved how sassy she looked right now. She was tired, he could tell, and he knew that she didn't mean any harm by it, she was just being honest.

"That's fine with me. Good night."

"Good night Sam." Mercedes turned around to head to her room.

"Hey Mercedes."

"Yeah Sam?"

"Thanks again." He gave her another half-smile and it took everything in her not to melt into the ground. She pulled it together and smiled at him.

"No problem. Sleep well." Sam turned around a closed the door, while Mercedes just stood and watched. When the door clicked shut, she turned around and closed her door too. Feeling too exhausted to even undress she feel on the bed face first. She contemplated texting Kurt to let him know that she had four new house mates but decided it was best to leave it until morning, he'd want the details and she wasn't up to giving them. She felt her eye lids getting heavy and decided to let gravity take them over and within the next minute she was fast asleep. After what felt like only minutes of sleep, Mercedes heard a slight knock on the door. She began to try to get up to go answer but before she could even think to step on the floor, two small bodies ran and jumped on the bed.

"Mercy! Mercy! It's time to wake up. We want to get our stuff." Mercedes looked at the two little faces staring down at her and looked up at Sam and his beautiful smile standing at the door.

She could get use to wake ups like these.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Thanks to _Eden1262 _ for the heads up on the typo, hopefully I fixed them all. **

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>Bright and early the next morning, the Evans and the Jones were standing in the living room, getting ready to distribute unpacking duties. The only person who wasn't unpacking was Mr. Jones seeing as there was an emergency with his dental office, so he had to leave.<p>"A pre-teen couple with braces..." Everyone looked at him and winced.<p>

"Okay honey, good luck with that. Are you going to be home for dinner?" Mrs. Jones gave her husband a kiss.

"I should be. I have faith that you guys will be able to handle this without me?"

"Yeah, we have a small army of free labor." Mrs. Evans winked at the kids who groaned in unison. The two oldest groaned for the fact that two small children had woken them up with a pile driver and so they were still exhausted, the younger two groaned because even though they wanted all their stuff unpacked, they didn't feel like actually doing the work.

"Now kids, you better wipe those looks off your face before I get my spray bottle." All four straightened up immediately and put a cheesy smile on their face. Mercedes told them about the ice cold water bottle she stores in the refrigerator so when anyone gets out of line they get a quick cold shower to bring them back to reality because according to Mrs. Jones, "you must be out of your mind to think you can act like that."

"That's better." Mrs. Jones smiled at them as she walked her husband to the door after he gave Mercedes a hug. Once he pulled out of the driveway, Mrs. Jones turned to the kids and took charge."

"First off, how were sleeping arrangements?" As Stevie, Stacy, and Sam were begging to say fine, their dad interrupted.

"I'd really prefer if Stevie and Sam slept in the room we were sleeping in now and we slept in Sam's room and Mercedes and Stacy shared the bathroom." Sam wasn't going to argue with his parents. He wanted this move to be easy, but Stevie and Stacy on the other hand didn't mind protesting.

"Dad! Come on Stevie and I have always shared a room or at least slept right the rooms right next to each other."

"Yeah dad, don't get me wrong I love Sam but he snores."

"HEY! No need to put my business out there!" Sam blushed.

"Kids, I really think this would be better."

"The room next to Mercedes already has a bunk bend perfect for Stacy and me! It would be too big of a mess to move it!"

"And plus Sam is too big for it anyways!"

"You guys have some good points but-"

"BUT DAD!" They both "spoke loudly." Mr. Evans stared at the two.

"Fine, I guess there's no harm. But Stevie you have to shower and change in Sam's room."

"Deal!" Mercedes and her mom just stood and watched the whole thing unfold. Her mom leaned over to whisper something in her ear. Sam looked over but could only make out, "if you…speak…knock your..." Though he couldn't hear the whole sentence he knew that he needed to stay on Christine's good side.

"Well know that that is settled, time to unpack! Stacy and Stevie, you going to help me, your mom, and your dad unload his car and carry the boxes to the rooms they belong in, Sam and Mercedes, handle Cedes' car." Mrs. Jones opened the garage and led the group out.

"Once all the boxes are unload go into you're rooms-except Stevie who will go to Sam's room and unpack there- and unpack your boxes. Evaluate what you need now and try to figure out something that can go in storage. I want at least two boxes that we can bring to our storage unit. There's no way all of your stuff is going to fit in our house so we have to work together. We can always go down to the storage unit and get stuff out so don't freak out. Clear?" Once Mrs. Jones received a nod from everyone they began the unloading process. Mercedes put on music to make the time go by quicker. They spent the day unloading, unpacking, and repacking the stuff that was going to the storage unit. It was a long day but since everyone was there it made it fun. Mercedes and Sam goofed around unloading and since Mercedes didn't have anything to unpack she decided to helped Sam and Stevie. She picked and random box and opened it.

"Uhh Sam?"

"Yeah Mercy"

"These are some cute avatar boxers." Sam turned in horror to see Mercedes holding up his favorite paor of underwear. He ran over to wear she was standing and grabbed the box and the boxers, looking as red as a tomato. Mercedes just laughed.

"I think I'm going to go help Stacy."

"Yeah I think that's a good idea." Sam watched Mercedes leave. _Oh gosh she thinks I'm a total nerd. I mean I know we're going to be living together and she would eventually find out but I was hoping not like that._ Mercedes took a few steps down the hall and knocked on Stevie and Stacy's door. Mercedes didn't get a response and wondered why the door was closed; she pushed the door open carefully

"Stacy?" She saw Stacy's back turned to the door and slowly walked up behind her. She heard Stacy sniffling.

"Stacy, what's wrong?" She still didn't say anything.

"Girl, come one, we're practically going to be sisters now! You can tell me anything." Stacy turned to Mercedes and reluctantly told her what was wrong.

"I know we're supposed to be grateful for what we have, but I don't want any of these old stinking clothes."

"Why not? I bet you have some cute outfits in here!"

"There are all old and hand-me-downs from my older cousin. I just want to be pretty like you." Mercedes was taken back. _She thinks I'm pretty? If only she knew how badly I felt about myself._ At that point Mercedes decided that she just need to love herself for who she is because this little girl, even if she was the only one, looked up to her.

"Sweetheart, your beautiful and just because these clothes are hand-me-downs doesn't mean you can't work it!"

"Really?"

"Uh YEAH! Some of my favorite outfits I got from Goodwill. Here, why don't I help you unpack and I can see what we're working with. We'll spice up your wardrobe without actually changing anything and trust, as long as you ask, you can barrow any of my accessories."

"Really?"

"Of course! I can't be the only fabulous girl in this house." She reached over and gave Stacy a hug.

"Come on, let's unpack." Mercedes and Stacy got off the ground, put on some music and began the unpacking process, during which, Mercedes began putting outfits together for her to wear. Little did they know that Sam had been watching the entire time. _Wow, Mercedes really cares about my family…like they were her's. She really is awesome. _His face broke out into a smile as he watched his little sister and Mercedes unpack and dance around the room like they were actually sisters.

"SAM I NEED YOUR HELP REACHING THE TOP SHELF!" Sam broke his gaze from Mercedes and headed back to his room to help Stevie before he broke something. He came in to see him standing on a make-shift stool.

"Woah buddy be careful," Sam said has he picked up his brother off the boxes he was standing on. Slowly but surely everything became unpacked and repacked and reload and by 7 p.m. they had everything stored in the storage unit. Mrs. Jones had dinner ready by 7:45 and Mr. Jones walked into the door by 8.

"Wow honey, I didn't think it'd take that long."

"Yeah well the office was a mess so I stuck around and tried to reorganize things and it was just so bad. It's still not done." He kissed his wife on the cheek.

"Wait..what? Never mind, talk about it over dinner, everyone is starving." She turned away from him and yelled upstairs that dinner was ready. The Evans family and Mercedes came down the steps, washed their hands, and sat down. Mr. Jones blessed the food and they began eating.

"Wow Christine, this food is delicious."

"Thanks Charlie, your lovely wife helped." Charlie then leaned over to give Lily a kiss. Stevie and Stacy made faces like they were grossed out. Everyone at the table laughed.

"Thomas, what took so long at the office today?"

"Well I went into my secretary's office to grab some paper and there were files all over the place. It was driving me crazy so after I disconnected the pre-teens I decided to organize my office. It's still not done."

"Didn't you just hire a new secretary?"

"Yeah I did Mercy, but it looks like I'm going to have to fire her. It was unacceptable."

"Well babe, why don't you think about hiring Lily?"

" What?. Christine, really? You've already done so much, don't be silly."

"Girl please, the way you not only organized all your stuff in our house, but the way you organized the storage unit and helped me in my kitchen and knew where everything went without being asked, you're a natural."

"Well I trust my wife's judgments. Lily, you're hired, if you want the job. I know it's not the best but it'll do"

"Of course I'll accept and don't worry about paying me. My wages will be to pay you back."

"Nonsense, you need money for your family. How about we compromise? Half comes with me, half goes with you?"

"Deal! Honey, we're on our way to getting our lives back." Lily leaned over and kissed Charlie again.

"Mom, dad, please stop. Stacy and I are dying over here!" The whole table erupted in laughter again and the dinner proceeded. There wasn't a silent moment, everyone always had something to say and even though they were two completely different families they seemed to mesh really well together. After dinner, Stacy and Stevie went upstairs with their parents and got ready for bed while Mercedes and Sam cleared off the table. Mercedes' mom came into the kitchen and gave her and Sam a kiss goodnight and they headed to their bedroom which was on the first floor.

"I was h, you dry, and we'll put away together?"

"Sure Mercy." Sam and Mercedes worked again in a comfortable silence, until Sam started to sing. Mercedes recognized the turn immediately.

"Are you singing Barney?" Sam blushed.

"Don't stop! I love Barney! I still watch it!"

"Mercedes, are you serious? You're like ten thousand years old!"

"This is coming from the guy who was singing it two seconds ago."

"Well it pertained to the moment and Mr. Shue is always telling us to sing it out, whatever 'it' is."

"And you 'it' was 'clean up, clean up, everybody, everywhere, clean up, clean up, everybody do your share.'"

"My 'it' can be what I want, don't judge!"

"Oh I'm judging!" Mercedes looked at Sam with her hell-to-the-no face but only held it for a second before she busted into laughter. She was so busy laughing that she accidently dropped a glass in the sink and go water all over Sam, she stopped laughing, but was still giggling.

"Oh my, I'm sorry."

"No you're not!"

"You're right!" Sam looked at her with a mischievous look in his eye.

"Oh no you-gasp" Too late. Sam had smacked his hand in a huge pile of bubble getting Mercedes wet.

"Oh, you're dead now!" and an epic water began; cold water, hot water, soapy water, dirty water, began flying everywhere.

"YOU GUYS BETTER NOT BE MESSING UP MY KITCHEN." Mercedes and Sam froze, looked at each other and booked it upstairs to the linen closet to grab towels.

"Quick grab the towels that you used to shower with, they're already dirty." Sam ran into his bathroom and grabbed his and Stevie's towel since Stevie was already changed and in bed. They ran back downstairs and began cleaning up the water, the entire time laughing uncontrollably. Once the mess was cleaned up and the dishes were washed and put away, Mercedes and Sam brought the towels to the wash room and headed back up the stairs.

"Well, I probably don't need one, but I'm going to take a shower and then go to bed. I'm beat."

"Me too. Your sister is a dancing diva. I thought she was never going to stop." Sam thought back to the smile his sister had on his face playing with Mercedes and couldn't help but smile.

"Well good night Sam."

"Goodnight Mercy." They turned into their rooms and began to get ready to shower. Mercedes wanted to take a nice long hot shower so she changed her mind and decided to wait until Sam was done so she didn't take all the water pressure and the hot water. She decided to go downstairs and watch TV. Meanwhile Sam turned on the water and got undressed to get in the shower; before he stepped in he realized that he used his towel to clean up the mess down stairs._ Well the linen closet is right next to my room and Mercedes was getting in the shower and everyone is asleep, I can just grab a towel really quick_. As Sam dashed out he feel back in horrors; Mercedes stood shocked. There was Sam Evens, butt naked in her house. It was like a bad train wreck but not seeing as nothing on that boy's body was a wreck, she just couldn't look away, no matter how much her moral conscious was telling her too. She couldn't stop herself from eyeing him up and down, mouth still open in shock. Sam tried turning and running back into his room, but the door had closed somehow and he was fumbling with the handle. _._ Finally the handle gave and he dove into his room. The view from behind was almost as good as the front. Mercedes stood in the same spot for what felt like an eternity, still shocked. _Sam Evans was naked, right in front of me._ Sam just laid on his floor, his entire body red from embarrassment. How was he every going to face Mercedes ever again. She had seen everything, and he meant everything. He realized he still didn't have a towel so he decided to put clothes on, turn the water off, and then go get the towel. When he opened up his door to his embarrassment Mercedes was leaning against her doorframe. He went to turn back around.

"Sam wait."

"God Mercedes, don't make me face you."

"Sam, we need to deal with this now."

"Oh God why?"

"Because my mom can sense when something is wrong so we need to be okay and not all awkward because I don't really feel like telling my mom I saw you pretty much naked."

"Pretty much naked? You saw all of me!"

"Not all of-"

"Mercy"

"Okay, it was all of you."

"Oh God!" He turned his way from her in embarrassment, blushing even worse than before if than before.

"Sam, chill out, we are two grown people who can handle a little…or a lot of nakedness." Sam looked up at her and she began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Mercedes began laughing harder.

"Come on Mercy, what's so funny!" It didn't stop her.

"Tell me!" She could tell he was getting upset but she just couldn't stop. Finally Sam stopped asking and she regained her breath.

"You okay now?" She giggled and then cut herself off.

"Yeah, whew, I'm fine. It's just that, you're Sam Evens, star football player, and you were naked in my house. You know how many girls would kill to be me right now? A lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah Sam, you're hot and from what I saw you have nothing to worry about." Mercedes blushed at the image of his naked body popping up again her head. Mercedes had just seen more than any other girl, besides his mother, had seen. Santana had tried to get in his pants, but it didn't feel right. He thought he was ready with Quinn, but she never gave it up and he's happy he didn't. Call him a sucker but he wanted to say his V-card for the girl who deserved it. Though being naked wasn't the same as his virginity, he was glad that someone he called a true friend had seen him and not someone who was going to try and exploit him or make fun of him.

"Well if had to be any girl to see me naked, I'm happy it was you." Mercedes looked at him with a confused look. _What does he mean by that?_ He didn't even try to explain so she let it go.

"So are we okay? You're not going to freak out about this or die of embarrassment or anything like that?"

"No Mercedes, I think I'll be fine. Thanks for not making fun of me."

"Sam, you're practically perfect what's there to make fun of?"

"A lot actually..." he trailed off. In that moment Mercedes saw how much Sam hated himself and his body. _ Well we need to work on that. Sam is pretty much a god, there's no reason he should think less._ Mercedes walked across the hall and gave him a hug goodnight.

"Sam, you're perfect, don't ever think any different." Sam listened to the words and for the first time, he thought he could actually believe it. I mean it was coming from Mercedes Jones, the girl who will call you out if you're looking a mess, if there's anyone's opinion who he could believe it would be her's. It was still hard though.

"I'm nowhere near perfect." She rolled her eyes at him and began walking to her side of the hall.

"We'll fight about this later, that laugh took a lot out of me and it's time for this mamacita to go to bed."

"Goodnight mamacita."

"Goodnight," she smiled at him. Once the door was closed she added, "Perfect." She decided to have the shower wait till morning and laid down in her bed. Sam, also given up on the shower, laid down on his bed and thought about the last ten minute of his life and he began laughing and just couldn't stop. He didn't know why, he guess it was just the ridiculousness of the situation was hilarious. Mercedes Jones had just seen all of him and then told him he was perfect. This is not something that happened every day in someone's life, but for some reason if made him laugh. As Mercedes eyes began to close she thought she could hear the laughter of the boy whose manhood she just saw and she began laughing to. He heard her laughing and laughed harder and it became a vicious cycle until they heard a small voice tell them to shut the heck up. They stifled there laughs and just laid in their beds and recreating the laughter in their heads, letting it lull them to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: I'm so sorry for the delayed update. I had a little writers block, so if this isn't that great I'm sorry. I do hope enjoy it though! :) **

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><p>The JonesEvans family spent Sunday just relaxing and enjoying each other's company. They decided that they would try out each other's churches so this week was the Jones'. At first the Evans seemed a little uncomfortable just for the fact that it was new place and they only knew the people that had brought them, but the members of the church were very warm and open to the Evans and they ended up having a great time. They sang and danced during the worship and the pastor kept their attention for the lesson so they got a lot out of it. Afterwards the group decided to go out to lunch to celebrate moving in and so they went to a small pizzeria called _Mama Mia's_ which Mercedes' swore they had the best pizza in town. Mrs. Jones, always the one to take control, began to ask what type of pizza everyone liked.

"I like cheese!" said Stacy.

"Eww cheese is so boring, can I have some anchovies!" Mercedes looked at Sam who was looking at Stevie.

"Stevie, that is absolutely disgusting and is not happening," Sam said.

"Fine….Pepperoni is fine Mrs. Jones."

"Is everyone okay with one cheese pie and one pepperoni pie?"

"I thought we were getting pizza?' Everyone at the table laughed and Stacey began to blush, she didn't know what she had said wrong but she knew it was something. Mercedes saw her and stopped laughing and explained. She didn't want to make the poor girl cry.

"Pie is another word for a pizza. My mom's really weird with the word she uses; I have no idea what she's talking about half the time."

"That's not because of me! It's because you don't listen!" Again the entire table erupted in laughter.

"So how did you guys enjoy church today?" asked Mr. Jones. Stacy spoke up first.

"The music was funny…" Lily Evans went to shush her for being rude but it didn't stop her," but I really liked it! Our church can be so boring sometimes. You're church was so fun and exciting."

"Yeah I liked it when the preacher yelled, it kept me up!"

"Well I'm glad you like it Stevie and Stacy, how about you Sam?" Mr. Jones was now looking at him.

"I enjoyed it, a lot actually. I definitely want to go back."

"Well that's good." At that moment in time the pizza arrived, they said grace, and began to eat.

Once they were finished, thee girls decided to go to the mall while the boys decided to go home and watch TV. At the mall, Lily and Christine got manicures. Lily had said no, but Christine insisted saying, "you going to need all the relaxation you can get before you work for my husband." Mercedes and Stacy decided that they would do their nails when they got home and decided to take the time to go shopping. In tow with her mother's credit card they set out to find the perfect outfit for school the next day. According to Mercedes, "nothing starts the week of right than a new outfit." They went into the first outfit and Mercedes picked out a pair of purple skinny jeans with a yellow cheetah print V-neck with a light pick tank top. Stacey gave her a look that said "are you serious?"

"Girl, trust me." A few minutes later Stacy stepped out of the dressing room with her head down.

"Stacy, lift you head up. You need to be as fierce as your outfit." Stacy still didn't look up.

"I'm not used to wearing so many colors. I don't like drawing attention to myself. "

"Well get used to it. You outfit needs to match you personality and girl you personality screams cheetah!"

"You really think so?"

"I have lived with you for 48 hours, you are a cheetah." Stacy looked at herself in the mirror and she smiled. Mercedes knew that it was going to be a struggle to keep Stacy's….and her confidence up with all the ideas of perfection out there but it was something she had to do for both their sakes.

Five stores and six bags later they met up with their mother and headed back home. As the women walked it the house they heard screaming and laughter. The four females cautiously looked around the corner and saw the 4 men dancing to "Bootylicious" on Just Dance. Mercedes pulled out her phone just in time to get Sam doing the Beyoncé booty shake, along with the two dads. Once she was sure she got most of it she cued to the other women that it was okay to laugh. Suddenly realizing that there were other people there, Mr. Jones went to shut the game off.

"Oh honey, don't worry about doing that, we already have some of it recorded." Immediately the men charged at them trying to snatch the phones away. Though the guys were stronger, the women were better at blackmail. Sam was closing in on Mercedes; she had made the dumb decision to run into her room and now he had her cornered. She realized if she didn't save herself at that moment, it was not going to turn out good.

"Take on step closer to me Sam Evans and this gets posted to YouTube faster than you can say Bootylicious." Sam looked at her suspiciously.

"You wouldn't"

"Try me." She showed him that all she had to do was pushed send on her phone and his life was over. He backed up.

"Alright, you win." With a victorious smile she went to put her phone back in her pocket, next thing she knew Sam was right next to her. He then began to tickle her and she tried to fight it but she couldn't.

"Sam (breath) please stop (breath) I think (breath) imgoingtopeemypants (breath)" He stopped for a moment and looked at her.

"Then give me the phone."

"Never." He then began to tickle her again and she tried to fight again, but she really did have to pee and so it made it that much harder. Next thing they knew she was on her bed and Sam was on top of her. He stopped for a moment and just looked down at her. They were just smiling, trying to catch their breath—tickle fights take a lot of two people. They then saw how they were laying and Sam quickly jumped off and Mercedes sat up blushing. _First I see saw naked, now he's lying on top of me, what am I doing with my life. _

"Sam, I won't post it online."

"You promise?"

"Pinky swear." She held her pinky out for him to grab, which he did.

"I'm holding you to your word Mercedes," Sam said in a joking tone.

"I'm not one to break mine." Sam was taken aback by her fierceness. It seemed like she wanted to let Sam know that she wouldn't lie to him like most of the other girls in his life. _I'm pretty sure I'm reading too much into this._

"Pink promises are a serious thing," said Mercedes finally smiling again. Sam gave her a half-grin in return. He began to rummage around her room, trying to do something to fill the silence.

"So what do the Jones usually do on Sundays?"

"We usually just relax; Sunday is kind of like our family day." He finished glancing through her cd collection; he turned around and faced her.

"Well do you want to go downstairs and watch a movie?"

"Yeah I'll go pop some popcorn while you go pick out a movie." They headed down the stairs and talked about genres. Mercedes wanted to watch a scary movie, but Sam didn't. He made up some crap excuse as to why, but really he just didn't want to seem like a wimp in front of Mercedes.

"Why don't you just surprise me, seeing as hate all of my suggestions."

"Fine." Mercedes went towards the kitchen to grab refreshments and Sam scanned her extensive movie collection. _They have to have it…Yes!_ He danced in excitement.

"You're really a dancing fool today aren't you?" He stopped and began to blush.

"I couldn't help it. You have it."

"Have what?" He looked like he was about to burst with excitement. _Why is he so freakin adorable?_

"AVATAR!" He began to dance again. _I wonder if he has a date to prom. What am I thinking? One, he would not want to go with me and two; it would be super awkward if we went together. _

"Chill out! The less you dance the faster we can start the movie." He immediately stopped and ran into the living room, kicking Stevie and Stacy out.

"Sam! We were watching TV!" Sam pretty much didn't care, so Mercedes handles it.

"Either you guys can watch Avatar with us or you can watch TV in my room?"

"HE'S WATCHING AVATAR! HERE COMES THAT DUMB ALIEN SPEAK!" Sam immediately stopped and slowly turned his head with the most serious look that Mercedes had ever seen him wear.

"STEVIE, I LOVE YOU BUT IF YOU SAY NAV'I IS DUMB ONE MORE TIME I WILL GIVE A NUGGIEE SO BAD IT'LL MAKE YOU GO BALD!" and with that Stevie and Stacy ran up the stairs to escape the wrath of Sam. Mercedes even stepped back a bit. _Mental note: do not get between Sam and his Avatar_. Once Sam had the movie in dvd payer and TV was on the right setting, the sat down on the couch and got comfortable, setting the popcorn in between them.

By the time the movie was done, Mrs. Evans had dinner prepared. She told everyone to be ready in 15 minutes to eat.

"I have not seen that movie in forever," sighed Sam. Mercedes looked at him like he had three heads.

"What?" Sam asked.

"You quoted every line!"

"You could hear that?" Sam blushed.

"Yeah I could, I also saw you tear up at the end." This caused Sam to blush even harder.

"It's just so moving and seeing as Quinn and Santana both refused to let me watch it….I just missed it." Mercedes just laughed at him, who would've thought that a movie had so much effect on him.

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why did you let Santana and Quinn push you around like that?" Sam thought Mercedes was judging him, but when he looked in her eyes all he saw was concern.

"I don't know. Quinn was so pretty and I really thought I loved her, so I wanted to make her happy and if not watching Avatar made her happy then I did it." Mercedes just looked at him trying to hold back her tears. Quinn had missed her opportunity with a great guy and now she had Finn who was still in love with Rachel. She had never been in a relationship before, but the look on Sam's face looked like love when he thought of Quinn. _Probably because she's beautiful and skinny and a cheerio._

"And I honestly had no idea what I was thinking with Santana. Three days into the relationship I saw that she totally had the hots for Brittney. I guess I just didn't want to be alone." And with that Sam made his way to the bathroom, leaving Mercedes to sit by herself. He didn't just want to leave her, but he didn't want to be sad around her either. Mercedes was always so full of life and he could see that during the conversation he was draining it out of her. By the time he finished washing his hands Mercedes was already at the table. Mr. Evans volunteered to say grace that night and dinner proceeded as usual. The rest of the night was pretty quiet. Stevie and Stacy volunteered to do the dishes, so Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Evans decided to stay downstairs, drink a glass of wine, and supervise the children while the washed. Sam and Mercedes walked up stairs and decided it was time for both of them to go to bed. He pulled her into a hug.

"We've only be living together for two full days, but honestly they are the best two days of my life. Your family is really great. "

"Well I'm happy everything has been working so well. Your family is pretty awesome."

"Who would've thought the Jones' and the Evans', living in perfect harmony." Mercedes stepped back from the hug, with her hell-to-the-no face.

"You did not just do that?" Sam pretended to be insulted.

"Do what?"

"Oh you know white-boy. Trying to make a play off of Ebony and Ivory." Sam shook his head in disagreement.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Uh-huh, whatever. Goodnight Sam." He flashed a smile at her that made her knees go a little weak.

"Good night Mercedes." She shut her door and got ready for bed. As she was just about to go to sleep, she was awakened with a thought. _How are we going to explain this tomorrow?_


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: I'm so sorry that it's taken me awhile to update this. I honestly never intended to wait this long. This story has just taken a lot of turns for me so I'm just now starting to rediscover its direction. Hopefully my next wont take as long. I really am sorry. Thanks for all the reviews and the encouragement to keep going. I hope you enjoy. **

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><p>Mercedes alarm started to go off at 6:30 am. She rolled over to try and went to smack the snooze button, but she only felt the table. Confused, she opened her eyes and still didn't see her clock. She sat up and saw that someone had moved it across the room.<p>

"Mom." She said with anger under her breath. Her mom had been trying to figure out ways to make her daughter wake up on time without her physically going up the stairs and pushing her out of bed. Mercedes had foiled all of her other plans, divas do need their beauty sleep. But this time her mom actually came up with idea that worked. Mercedes climbed out of bed and walked over to her desk and shut off her alarm. _Well I'm up; I might as well get ready_. She contemplated waking up Sam, but decided to shower first. _He's a boy, I mean it takes like 30 seconds for them to get ready._ She hopped in the shower, allowing the warm water to hit her face so she would actually wake up. Once she was clean she got dressed really quick, walked across the hallway, and tapped on Sam's door.

"Sam?" All she heard was a groan and shuffling of the sheets.

"Sam… it's 7 o'clock, you need to get up and start getting ready." A muffled "go away" came from the other side of the door.

"Boy…don't make me get my momma." And with that she heard a thump on the floor. She giggled at the thought of him being so scared he fell out of bed and on to the floor. A few moments later she heard the shower turn on and she turned around and went back to her room to finish getting ready. She walked over to Stevie and Stacy's room to make sure that they were awake, but when she looked in their beds no one was there. _They must already be downstairs._

Once she had finished getting ready, she grabbed her backpack and headed downstairs. At the same time she was leaving her room, so was Sam.

"Good morning Cedes."

"Good morning Sam." They began the walk downstairs in tired silence and as soon as they hit the bottom step they could smell the food.

"Wow, something smells delicious." Sam began to unconsciously rub is stomach,

"Yeah it does!" They walked into the kitchen to find Mrs. Jones, Stevie, and Stacy preparing breakfast.

"Good morning mom." Mrs. Jones turned around and saw Mercedes and Sam standing there.

"So I see this idea worked this time, I was getting worried that I was going to have to send Stevie and Stacy up to wake you two. Sam looked a little confused and Mercedes just gave him a smile that said, "I'll tell you later." Stevie and Stacy went up to Sam and gave him a hug. Mercedes saw that Stacy was wearing her new outfit and she nudged Sam so he would give her a compliment.

"Wow Stacy, I love your outfit. Is it new?" Stacy face lit up.

"Yeah it is! It's the one Mercedes bought me!"

"Well Mercedes has awesome taste." He gave Mercedes a half smirk as he leaned down to high five his sister.

"Boy, don't you think I know that!" Mercedes gave him a smile back, with a light slap on the shoulder for showing even a little doubt in her fashion abilities. He leaned over like he was in pain.

"Really Sam?" He stopped and looked up at Mercedes and they burst into laughter. They didn't really know why, it was just really funny to them two. Stevie and Stacy just looked at them.

"Teenagers are weird," said Stacy.

"True," replied Stevie. Sam and Mercedes laughter was interrupt by a loud growl coming from Sam's stomach. Mercedes' mom removed the frying pan from the stove and went to put eggs on the five plates laid out before her.

"I'm going to take that as a cue that everyone is ready for breakfast." Everyone giggled. Sam began to feel his cheeks get red. _He's so cute when he gets flustered_. Mercedes felt the butterflies in her stomach began to flutter. She tried to ignore them and just focus on the food in front of her. She didn't want to deal with these feelings she was beginning to notice, she was trying to make them disappear. She had already made the promise to herself to not to fall for him. Around 8 o'clock, Mrs. Jones stood up from the table and began to clear it off.

"Stevie, Stacy, I need you guys to go put you're dishes in the sink and then grab you're backpack. We're leaving within the next 5 minutes. Mercy, would you mind putting the dishes in the dishwasher before you leave?"

"Okay Mrs. J.!" Stevie and Stacy hoped up from the table and began to do what Mrs. Jones had said.

"Sure Mom." Mercedes got up from the table and Sam followed right behind her.

"Need some help?"

"Sure." Sam rinsed off the plates and handed them to Mercedes to put in the dishwasher. They heard Stevie and Stacy call out bye as the headed out the door. Sam shouted,

"Have a good day at school!" He had a content smile on his face. Today was going to be the first day in months where they were going to come home and be able to do their homework in a real work space, at a real table – not like the flimsy, foldable one in the motel. Mercedes smiled at his smile. She could see day-by-day the stress leaving his body. His shoulders weren't as tense and his face wasn't as serious. A few moments later Mercedes closed the dishwasher and turned to grab her book bag. Sam grabbed his also and they headed out the door. Sam began to walk down the sidewalk, leaving Mercedes stunned for a second.

"Sam!" He turned around, looking like he had done nothing wrong.

"Yeah?"

"Where are you going?" Sam just shrugged his shoulders.

"To school."

"You know, you can ride with me. It's like a 3 mile walk from my house. I mean if you want to walk you can, but you're going to be late." Sam began walking back to Mercedes car. Mercedes unlocked her car doors and they got in.

"Have your seatbelt on?" He thought about protesting, but he saw that she wasn't a morning person and that he should just answer. He smiled at her,

"Yeah."

"Okay then, let's go." Mercedes pulled out of the driveway and made her way out of their development.

"Why didn't you think I would give you a ride?"

"Well it didn't really cross my mind, unless I had to work right after school, I had to walk to school from the motel. So it was just natural for me to feel the need to walk. And once I started I thought about asking but you and your family have already done so much for me I felt bad for asking for anything else."

"Sam, it is a ride to school, I'm already on my way there, so it's not out of my way and even if it was I would still take you. Sam we're practically family, you can ask me for anything."

"_Anything_? I'll make sure to hold you to that." Sam raised an eyebrow at her.

"Okay, you're scaring me!" She giggled and Sam noticed how pretty she looked today. She was wearing purple sundress with a yellow-jacket. Her hair was down in loose curls and she wasn't wearing any make-up so her natural beauty just stood out. He thought about complementing her but he decided against it, he didn't want to weird her out. He felt himself staring and forced himself to look out the window. He saw the school coming into view and this was the first day in a while he hadn't dreaded going. Sam thought about what he should tell the glee club. He was getting ready to ask her what she thought they should do but then decided to just kind of surprise her. He wanted the glee club to really see how awesome of a person Mercedes is and how gracious her family is. He couldn't help but smile thinking about how her cheeks would become a deep red for having that type of attention on her.

Mercedes pulled into a parking spot and began to exit the car. Sam waited for her so they could walk into school. He couldn't decide if it was the fact that he wasn't homeless anymore or if it was the fact that he was going in to school with Mercedes that made today different – all he knew was he was happy, which is something he hadn't been in a while. Mercedes was a little shocked that Sam waited for her. She knew that the dynamic of their friendship had changed, but she never would've thought he would want to walk into school with her. They walked through the front door of the school and both stopped. Prom flyers were everywhere. With the excitement of moving, both had forgotten about it. Sam had decided that he wasn't going as soon as his parents lost their jobs. Mercedes knew she wasn't going to go without a date and there was no way she was going to ask someone. Mercedes looked at the posters and thought about Sam. She assumed he was going and that he'd probably ask one of the Cheerios to be his date, now that he wasn't homeless. Sam looked down at Mercedes and thought she would go with some friends. She was an independent women, she probably didn't want a date. He decided not to bring it up and on Saturday when she left to go he would tell her he wasn't going and would spend the night watching Avatar. Mercedes, not wanting to deal with the embarrassment of telling him she didn't have a date, decided it was best to just walk away before he began asking questions.

"Have a good day in class Sam, see you in glee." Sam watched the natural sway of her walk. _I bet she's an awesome dancer_. _Maybe I'll go just to ask her for a dance._ Sam walked to his locker and grabbed his books and headed to class, trying to figure out why she had left so fast_._ He assumed she just had some place better to be and with a somber head he went to class.

The rest of the day was pretty normal for both of them. Classes were boring as usual and teachers handed out too much homework. Finally glee came and Sam was happy at the fact that he was going to be able to tell them he wasn't homeless. He walked into glee club and saw an empty seat next to Mercedes and began to make his way to it when he was stopped by Rachel Berry.

"Sam, is everything all right? You're not living in your car are you?"

"No, why?" Sam notice Santana take the seat next to Mercedes. _Even when we're not dating she gets in the way_.

"I went to your motel room on Sunday to bring some of my famous sugar cookies and when I knocked on the door there was a creepy old man. I was a little shocked seeing as he was missing most of his teeth and the odor that was coming off him made small kittens want to cry, I gave him the benefit of the doubt and thought he may have been your grandfather. But when I asked to see you he got really close and then tried to grab my butt and I immediately knew he was not related to you. So I didn't want to assume anything again so I decided to come and ask you why you weren't there." It was characters like that that made Sam happy that he wasn't in the motel room anymore. Some of his neighbors were all right, but most of the people living there were either creeps or drug dealers.

"Well-"

"Yeah and why weren't you at church on Sunday?" Quinn interrupted.

"Well if you wouldn't interrupt me, I have some news." He looked around and saw that everyone had arrived.

"Well go ahead," Rachel said.

"Well me and my family found a temporary home." He gave Mercedes a smile and everyone turned their heads to look at her. Mercedes had forgotten to ask Sam how they were going to tell everyone, she wasn't mad that he had told them, she just wished he would've given him a heads up. Now all these confused heads were looking at her and she hoped Sam would just leave it at that.

"Mercedes has been really awesome and opened up her house to us, free of rent. It's probably the nicest things that anyone has ever done for me and I will forever be in debt to her." He gave her a really cheesy bow, which made her want to giggle, but she held it in. Everyone gave her a smile and now she was just embarrassed that everyone was now looking at her. Sure when she sang she knew she turned heads, but when she was sitting around just being Mercedes people usually didn't give her a second glance. She gave a shy smile and turned her head.

"I should've suspected she would, Mercedes was so kind to me last year…" said Quinn as her head drifted to thoughts of last year.

"Oh yay!" Rachel did a small jump with three little claps. Mike just gave Sam a look accompanied with a wink that made Sam shake his head and blush a little. Mike had recently become one of his really good friends. He had also known about his living situation. Sam had actually told him after Mike had noticed Sam changing and Sam figured if Mike had noticed then he deserved to know. Every now and then he would come and steal Sam from the motel and they would just go over to his house and play video games or play basketball or anything else that was "bro" related. Sam had appreciated the distraction and Mike was actually an easy guy to trust. During a game of basketball Sam had let it slip that he thought Mercedes was really awesome.

***flashback***

"Really now?" Mike shot a free-throw.

"Well I mean yeah. I mean she did go all diva on us, but hey Rachel does that every day. She can sing really good and she seems to always be there for people and her smile..." Sam shut his mouth. Mike had this way of getting people to talk even if they didn't want to.

"I think someone has got a crush on a Ms. Mercedes Jones."

"Dude, no, she just a really awesome friend." Sam went to shot and completely air-balled. Mike just shook his head.

"Whatever you say man."

***endflashback***

"Does that mean you're black now, or the Mercedes is white?" Mercedes turned to Brittney with a look that screamed _WTF_.

"Brittney, are you out of your mind? Of course I'm not white and Sam's not black. You're ethnicity doesn't change when you move in with someone." Brittney kept the innocent look on her face, like she had done nothing wrong.

"Well then are you guys married now?" _Really Brittney, _thought Mercedes.

"Why would you think that?" Mercedes responded.

"Well when people get married they move in together."

"No Brittney, me and Sam are not married."

"Oh, are you guys at least brother and sister now?" Sam just looked at her with the same expression as Mercedes.

"Brittney, we aren't related, we just live together, friends can live with friends." Brittney looked at Sam like he had two heads. Santana walked over to her and whispered, "I'll explain it to you later." Puck went and patted Sam on the shoulder.

"Try not to sneak into hot mama's room at night and get your swirl on, I know she's heard to resist." Puck sent a wink over to Mercedes who brushed it off. Sam's face on the other hand became even redder.

"Well guys, I know we're all happy for Sam, but we got to start rehearsing." Everyone headed back to their seats. Since Santana had moved the seat next to Mercedes was opened, but Kurt quickly occupied it, trying to get any details that she had left out_._ He decided to take the seat behind Mercedes, just so he could be kind of near her.

"For what Mr. Shue?" said Finn.

"For prom." The smile on Sam and Mercedes face disappeared.

"Why do we need to rehearse for prom?" questioned Rachel with a mischievous smile. Mercedes didn't doubt that she was already planning a ballad to try and win Finn back – whether or not glee club was involved.

"Because we're preforming!" Everyone but Sam and Mercedes cheered.

"But I'm going to stagger out the performances so you guys can dance with your dates." Mercedes heart dropped. She couldn't deal with the fact she was going to be alone on prom night. It was like foreshadowing for being alone for the rest of her life. Mercedes decided she needed air and just got up and left. Everyone just watched her leave.

"What's wrong with Mercedes?" Mr. Shue questioned.

"She doesn't have a date," mentioned Kurt. Sam thought that's what she wanted, but obviously it wasn't. He got up got up to follow her. Both Rachel and Kurt volunteered to go talk to her but Sam didn't care, if Mercedes was upset he wanted to be the one to comfort her. He walked out into the hallway and saw her turn the corner. He ran to catch up with her.

"MERCY!" Sam thought it looked like she picked up pace. _Why is she running away from me?_ He caught up a few moments.

"Mercedes…talk to me." She seemed to resist turning her head around, so he decided to just step in front of her. She was crying and tried to keep Sam from seeing it.

"Mercedes, you held me as I wept like four times this weekend. Come on, let me comfort you." He tried to pull her in for a hug, but she stood her ground.

"But you cried about legit things, not for something dumb like prom."

"It's not dumb, I promise. Everything is going to be fine, I promise." He took a step closer to her to try and comfort her again, but she just took a step back.

"Sam, it's not that easy. I'm going to be by myself on prom night and you'll probably be dancing the night away with some stupid cheerio." Sam detected a hint of jealousy in her voice which surprised him.

"You'll never understand," Mercedes said and then she walked away. Sam felt slightly defeated. He had wanted to comfort Mercedes, but instead he seemed to make it worse. But he knew he knew how he could make it better. He walked back to glee club and everyone seemed a little upset that Mercedes hadn't come back with him. He didn't care though. He went to the seat that she had been sitting in and turned to talk to Kurt.

"Where's Mercedes?"

"She still needs time to cool off."

"I knew I should've gone out there," Kurt went to stand up and leave but Sam pulled him back down. Kurt seemed offended by this action.

"Sam what on Earth-"

"Kurt, I need your help." Kurt gave him a quizzical look.

"My best friend is in distress right now and you expect me to stop and help you. Why?"

"Because…" Sam leaned in a whispered his plan into his ear. The look on his face slowly turned into a smile.

"I think I can assist with that."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: So I have to say I'm so sorry. An update almost two and a half months late is completely unacceptable. I feel awful! I wouldn't be surprised if no one reads this anymore, but if you continue I would greatly appreciate it. Life has just gotten in the way and I didn't plan out this story so it was changing from my original story line and I just couldn't find a path to take. But I have found inspiration. Hopefully my next update won't take this long, but I can't make any promises. But I can promise I will never abandon this story. It will be finished one day. **

**I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really like it. **

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><p>Mercedes rolled out of bed on Thursday, in search on her alarm clock. <em>When does mom find the time to move it?<em> She looked went to check the last hiding place, under her desk, and it wasn't there. She wandered around her room for another 10 minutes until she realized it was under her bed. She turned it off, contemplating going back to bed. She had spent the last two days coming straight home and sulking in her room until dinner, where she would barely touch her food, and then come back upstairs to sulk. When she and Sam went to school she refused to make eye contact. She was so embarrassed. He tried to talk to her but she would never respond. Still he walked with her to class and waited for her afterschool. Her house-mates had noticed something weird going on, but seem to know that asking about it would not help. Prom was now three days away and she really did not feel like with the pre-prom excitement that everyone was going to have. She just wanted to stay in bed for forever.

"MERCEDES JONES, I DON'T HEAR THAT SHOWER GOING!" Her mom called upstairs. Mercedes rolled her eyes and remembered what her mom had said on the first day of school every year, "I don't care if your bleed out both your eye balls, don't ask me to skip school, don't let me catch you skipping school." Maybe she would pretend to go to school, but then never actually show up. Mercedes contemplated the idea for a moment before she realized if her mom found out the hell she would have to pay, it just wasn't worth it. She remembered the one time her older brother Tyler skipped school, she shivered at the thought. Though her mother was 2 feet shorter than her eldest brother, she was able to knock him out. She then made him call all of his friends and explain why his mother had given him a black eye. There had been more punishment, but Mercedes was forced up to her room to avoid any s_erious _trauma. Momma Jones wasn't abusive, but she didn't tolerate disrespect. Mercedes turned on the water and showered quickly since she was running behind and figured Sam still need to be woken up. She jumped out, through on her robe and crossed the hallway. Before she knocked she tried to gain her composure. Sam didn't need to hear her relationship baggage and the pity in his eyes made her feel horrified. But they lived together and just like they had to work through the whole naked fiasco, they would work through this. Mercedes then decided that she wasn't going to let prom get her down and she wasn't going to let it affect her and Sam's relationship. She quickly knocked on the door and waited to hear the thump. When it didn't come she knocked a little harder and still nothing happened. She needed to make sure he was awake, though Mrs. Jones wasn't his mom, this was her house. She got to treat you like one of her own. She took a deep breath and hoped that Sam wasn't a fan of the birthday suit, even though she had seen everything. She cracked the door opened and yelled in.

"Sam, I'm coming in, your man parts better be covered!" She pushed the door open further and was surprised when she already saw his bed made. She saw something on his pillow that caught her attention. She thought about ignoring it, seeing as this wasn't her room…but then again this was technically her house, so she walked over to his pillow and picked up a purple index card, covered in sequence. Sam's handwriting was sloppy, but you could tell he had tried to make it as neat as possible. Mercedes squinted at the writing and began to read words written on it.

_So hopefully you're as nosey as you think you are_

Mercedes huffed, offended at the fact that he called her nosey…assuming he was talking to her

_And hopefully you're not offended, because Miss Jones, you know it's true_

Mercedes smiled, even though they had only been living together for a short while, Sam seemed to understand her. She decided at that moment that she wasn't ashamed that she had told him her problems. Out of all the guys in glee, Sam was the only one who wouldn't laugh in her face. He cared about her.

_This card is to inform you of a great quest I have for you. _

_I've already left for school and if all goes well then I won't see you until after school_

_When the last bell of the day rings, then and only then can you turn the card around and read the clue on the back. _

Mercedes rubbed her fingers around the back of the index card and felt a small piece of paper on top of it. She assumed it was covering this clue that he was talking about.

_Not before and if you read it later than you lose_ _(which I really hope you don't) _

_So Lady Mercedes, I bid you good day _

_And let the fun begin. _

Mercedes took a deep breath in, trying to suppress the giggles that were about to come. She didn't know what that point of this was, but it was a distraction from all this prom crap at school. Mercedes walked back over to her room, quickly got dressed. She felt like jeans and a simple purple V-neck for day, accompanied by a pair of white toms. She curled her hair slightly, and after doing all the hygiene steps needed she walked downstairs. Sam wasn't at the breakfast table and she frowned, realizing that she was going to have to walk in to school by herself today. Though they hadn't been talking the last few days, it had been comforting to just have him around.

Mercedes ate her cereal, listening to Stevie's and Stacey talk about their upcoming field trip to the zoo. They were excited that they were actually going to be able to go and look at all the animals and get a behind the scenes tour of the jungle cats and the gorillas. Mrs. Jones called from the foyer to inform everyone it was time to go and the two children hopped up, quickly putting their dishes in the sink, and headed out the door for school.

Mercedes finished her cereal and proceeded to wash the dishes, realizing she missed Sam standing next to her helping. They had only moved in together 5 days ago, but he had already become such a big part of her life.

The house was eerily quiet – with Mr. Jones and Mrs. Evans at work, Mr. Evans on the job hunt, and everyone else on their way to school. Mercedes took the silence in for a few more moments and decided to head off to school.

On the way to school she kept glancing at the front pocket of her backpack which contained the notecard, trying to resist the urge to look at the back. She wanted to know what this quest was and what the great prize was at the end. But no matter how much she wanted to, she resisted it, not wanting to ruin the fun. She pulled in the parking lot and headed into school.

The rest of her day passed slowly. She blocked out most of the prom talk, ignoring the offers to look at the various prom dresses and rolling her eyes at the pre and post prom plans. Even though she wasn't letting prom get her down, it was still annoying to her everyone talk about it.

She arrived in glee, thinking that Sam must have forgotten that they had the class together, but he wasn't there. She frowned a little, deciding it'd be best for her to sit in the corner by herself, not wanting to get in the way of prom rehearsal. Finally the bell releasing 8th period rang and Mercedes went to her lockers to drop of her books, picking up the ones she needed for homework that night. She closed her locker door, willing the final bell to finally ring, holding the purple index card in her hands. Finally she heard the familiar ding of the bell and slowly flipped the card around, removing the paper covering the clue.

_Ravenclaws never guess _

_So the first clue to your great quest_

_Is where you need to be to pass your test_

Mercedes looked at the clue. Ravenclaw, how did he know she was a huge Harry Potter fan…better yet, how did he know that she wanted to be a Ravenclaw? Mercedes flipped the card around trying to avoid the fact that maybe he knew her a little too well. She scanned the front for any more clues. Mercedes felt herself get agitated, why didn't he just say MERCEDES GO HERE but no, he had to be clever. She took a deep breath in a thought. She was a Ravenclaw, she could solve a simple riddle. She had to go to class to pass her test, but she wasn't going to go to every single one of her class asking for a purple notecard. She paused for a moment and thought the best thing to do was check the library.

She began the walk to the library thinking of places she could look. Though McKinley High's library wasn't huge, it was big enough and she didn't think she had the time to walk down every aisle and every book to find the next clue. She walked up to the door and opened it. She stood by the front desk and scanned the room, trying to think of the best place to look. Coming up with nothing she decided to go to her regular study desk, figuring it would be a nice place to…. _Wait, would he really know that_. She picked up pace and headed to the desk towards the back left corner of the library, spotting the empty section she normally sat in and she saw it, a purple note card. She gently picked it up, not wanting to knock any of the sparkles off.

_I knew you were a clever girl, see _

_But now Tardis' red twin is where you need to be _

A DCOTOR WHO REFRENCE? She knew that they lived together, but this was creepy. How did he know that was her British guilty pleasure? Still baffled she stared at the card, but something funny felling drew her attention to the back of the card. She flipped it over and written in yellow puff paint was the word: _You_. Mercedes looked at the word, wondering what it meant. The only way to figure it out, she assumed, was to continue with the hunt. She thought about Tardis and assumed he was talking about the red phone booth downtown. She put the notecard in the front pocket of her back pack along with the one she had found that morning. She walked out to the parking lot, deciding that she didn't want her car to get locked in the school parking lot. She drove downtown, wiggling with excitement. She was excited to see what the next clue was and where it led her next.

She parked in front of the city library, deciding it was close enough to the phone booth, which was located a block down. Also, her car wouldn't get towed there. She walked away from her car, listening for the familiar click of her doors locking. She picked up the pace, glad she wore comfortable shoes. The phone booth came into view and she practically ran for her next clue.

She waited for the person inside, impatiently tapping her foot to get them to finish up. Finally the person left and she excitingly went inside. Her heart sank, realizing that she didn't see a card. She looked around and noticed a phone book. "Would he?" she thought. She fingered through the pages stopping at Evans, Jones, before she decided that Sam was too clever to do them. She thought for a moment and flipped towards the beginning stopping at D. And there, written in black sharpie, _Doctor, The._ She giggled at his creativity. Tapped underneath it was another purple card.

_Much potential, in you, I see – for sure _

_But those were the Droids you were looking for _

Star Wars now! This boy was too observant for his own good. The Jones' had two copies of episode 1 through 6: the original and the special edition. Damien, the middle brother, was a huge fan and when the special editions came out he insisted that they get them for him for his birthday. Mercedes smiled, remembering her brother's face when he opened them for his 17th birthday. Mercedes was happy she understood the reference, but what did Sam mean by it? Suddenly feeling claustrophobic, this phone booth was definitely not as big as the Tardis, she exited it. She stood outside, pondering for a moment what the clue meant. She flipped the card over to see that _With _was on the back. She looked at the booth realizing the ridiculousness of it still being around. _Who actually used these things anymore? You should have a cell phone by now_….

"THAT'S IT," she exclaimed, causing a few people to stop and look at her. She quickly put the notecard in her backpack and began to feel her cheeks redden.

"Sorry," she mumbled as she made her way to the small Verizon store around the corner. It was where she had just brought her new _Droid_ phone, as an early birthday present to herself. She was tired of the crapberry she had been using and she used the money she had made over the summer to treat herself. She walked into the door with the Verizon logo and looked around the store, looking for the section of Droids. She calmly, but quickly headed over to them, ignoring the offers of help from the associates. Taped to the back of the display Droid was another purple notecard. She cautiously tore it off and laid the phone back down.

_Vampires should not sparkle I say! _

_And the next clue is where they should've taken Jacob to play. _

Mercedes laughed loudly at the Twilight reference. Though she had read the books, she knew how ridiculous they were, and knew that Sam hated them. It was brought up during a glee meeting and Mr. Shue had to break up a Team Edward vs. Team Jacob battle. Mercedes and Sam sat in the back room joking about how ridiculous everyone looked…she realized that she and Sam had been better friends than she thought. Though they hadn't talked on a regular basis, on the days were fate would have them sit together, they always had a good time. She exited the store, heading over to the local dog park to try in search of the next clue. She flipped the card over, looking at the yellow _Go_ staring back at her.

_You, with, will, go_. That's what she had. She figured they were forming a sentence and decided to wait for the next clue before she really tried to figure it out. She placed the card in her backpack and continued walking.

A few moments later she saw the rolling fields of the dog park. Her mouth gaped when realized that this place was huge…and probably covered in poop. She was never a big fan of animals, they were nice to pet and whatnot, but all that responsibility was never her thing. She had once had a goldfish that she won at the fair, but it died three days later. After that she decided no more pets. She walked on the sidewalk careful to watch where she was stepping. Then a white sign caught her attention: _Lima Dog Park_. She thought that maybe he had put it behind the sign. She shrugged her shoulders and hoped so, because she would be out here all night looking for it. She walked up to the sign, then around to the back of it, smiling at the purple, sparkly card to the back of the sign.

_You've allowed me to set my nerd self-free _

_Your next clue is at the Home Tree _

"Home tree….hmmmm?" she pondered allowed. She remembered that was in Avatar. It was the giant tree that they all worshipped…or something. When she watched it with Sam it had only been the second or third time she had seen it and she hadn't even been paying attention when they were watching it. She had been watching Sam, amazed by the intensity on his face and how sexy his voice sounded when he spoke na'vi. Mercedes faced blushed at what she had just thought. She tried to justify it as a friendly comment, but saying someone's voice was sexy crossed the friend line. She tried to brush the thought aside, trying to reestablish the imaginary line in her head. She decided to flip the card over and saw _To_ written on the back in the same puff paint as the others.

_You, with, will, go _and now _to._ "Maybe it's a question of some sort," she pondered. She decided to wait until she had all the pieces, whenever that was, before she really started to figure out what was going on. She scanned the park, looking for a giant tree that resembled the vague picture of the Home Tree she had in her head. Across the park stood the oldest tree in Lima history and Mercedes decided that was her best bet. She put the note card in her backpack and followed the sidewalk path, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun on her skin and the sound of children's laughter filling her ears. It was a nice spring afternoon and was happy that Sam had chosen today to send her around town. Though her feet would hurt tomorrow, this had been the distraction she need from prom. She paused for a moment thinking about the words on the pack of the card.

"He couldn't be…" she muttered allowed. Trying not to get her hopes up, she picked up the pace; trying to distract herself from the conclusion she was drawing. She saw the purple index card coming into view and smiled, ready for her next clue. She gently tore off the card of the tree, trying not to hurt the "Home Tree." Sam would be proud of her. She giggled at the thought. She looked down at the scribbled hand writing.

_Cinderella's fairy godmother gave her all _

_Find the ride that took her to the ball _

_But be sure to get there before the clock strike seven _

_And look for a man named Kevin _

Mercedes pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time. It was 6:50!

"When had it gotten so late?" she spoke aloud. She loved Cinderella; it was her favorite fairy tale. She had always wanted to have a night where all eyes were on her and she was princess for just for a night. She was sadden by the thought that it was probably never going to happen, but she shook off the feeling determined to find this Kevin character Sam had wrote about. Though it was a Thursday she could see that downtown was getting busy, with couples getting ready for date and families spending quality time together. She saw the horses and their carriages sitting on the corner and hoped Kevin was the driver of one of them. She glanced back down at the time – 6:57, barely enough time. She glanced at the three men sitting, waiting for customers. She decided that she only had a few moments and just decided to say the name loudly.

"KEVIN" all three heads turned, startled by the name, but only one raised his hand signaling for her to come over to his carriage.

"Kevin?" she questioned.

"Miss Jones?" he responded. She gave him a bright smile and nodded her head.

"Right this way." He opened the small door for her, leading his hand for her to use as help to get into the carriage. A few moments later he climbed into his seat and the carriage began moving. Mercedes took a deep breath in, taking in the spring air, but then shivered realizing that it was a little cold outside. She looked down at the seat across from her and there was Sam's letterman jacket. She smiled at his thoughtfulness. Even though he wasn't physically there, he was still keeping her warm. She picked it up, wrapping it around her shoulders, surprised that it fit. It was snug, but that's how she liked it. She inhaled his sweet scent and hoped he never asked for it back.

Sam paced back and forth in front on the sidewalk. _What if she thought this was dumb? What if she decided to stop? What if she just went home? _Kurt was supposed to keep him update on her progress. He had depended on him to get the cards placed a few minutes before Mercedes was supposed to show up at each location, so that no one messed up the cards. But he hadn't heard from Kurt since the Verizon store update and he was starting to get worried. He wanted Mercedes to enjoy this day; he wanted to make it fun. He wanted to make it special. He was asking her to prom which was a big deal and he didn't want it to be a dumb text or some played out song; he wanted it to be unique… like her. He was so happy he and Kurt got along so well or he would've never been able to guess that she like Star Wars, Harry Potter, or Doctor Who. He had seen the Ravenclaw scarf in her bedroom but thought it may have been for a costume or a random gift. He had seen the Cinderella poster on her closet door and was happy he had remembered it and he could never forget the whole Twilight debacle in class. He smiled remembering her laugh and the smile in her eyes. The days he got to sit Mercedes, though they were few, were some of the best in glee. He wondered why he hadn't tried to sit with her more often. Suddenly faint clops of horse shoes brought him out of his thoughts and then he became nervous once again.

_She came_.

Mercedes recognized the area they were in and then remembered that she hadn't looked on the back of the last card.

_Prom_

Her breath hitched. He was…she couldn't believe it. Sam Evans was asking her to prom, in one of the most romantic, most creative ways she had ever heard. Okay, it was official. Mercedes Jones was falling for Sam Evans hard. But then she remembered that she told him she wanted a date. Was this just out of pity? Mercedes shook the dark thoughts from her head. Someone looking for a pity date wouldn't have gone this far. Even if Sam wasn't interested in her romantically, this was no pity date. It showed just how much he valued her. The past week had been short and she hadn't talked to him for two days, but still he stayed…well he lived with her, but he could've ignored her while she was sulking. But he didn't. He stayed with her through the silent treatment. Her face grew warm with excitement as she saw Sam pacing in front of the ice cream parlor she had taken his family to. Mercedes pulled the cards out of her backpack, shuffling them into the right order.

_Will, you, go, to, prom, with_…she realized she was shaking. She didn't know if it was from the cold or if she was trying to refrain herself from jumping out of the carriage. Finally the carriage came to a stop and Kevin got down of his seat to help her out.

She muttered a quick "thank you" and began to make her way over to Sam, trying to remind herself to breath.

Sam stopped moving as he watched Mercedes walk up to him. She looked gorgeous, but he had decided two days ago that she always did. Her hair bouncing in the night light, her jeans hugging her curves in a way that would cause Sam to take a very cold shower later on that night, it was almost too much. She was wearing his letterman jacket and he gave himself a mental high five for thinking of leaving it in there. He could tell he was staring but he couldn't help it, she looked amazing in it. He felt a sense of pride watching her walk up to him, in his clothing. Like she was his. He tried to shake the thought from his head, but he couldn't. He had always thought Mercedes was awesome, but seeing her upset the past few days made him realize how much he cared for her. He never wanted to see her sad again and always wanted to be the reason for the smile that was on her face at that moment. He had no idea if she felt the same way and living together would make things a little more complicated, but he was determined to make Mercedes officially his. It sounded possessive, but that's what happens when you have something as precious and valuable as her. He had been too busy staring that he forgot to hold the sign up for her to see. She was a few steps away when he held out the last card.

Mercedes felt her face warm at the way Sam was staring at her. She self-consciously touched her hair as she closed the distance between them. He seemed to snap out of his trance and her knees went weak at the smirk Sam gave her as he handed her the card.

_I hope you like my jacket made of leather_

_Can you put the puzzle together?_

She flipped the card around, excited to finish it. She ran her hand over the yellow puff paint: _me?_ She looked up and him and saw that he was smiling at her with a big cheesy grin. She could help but return it, even though the butterflies swarming in her stomach made her feel like she was going to puck.

"How did you know all those things about me?"

"I had a little help from a little bird," he smirked. She raised her eyebrow at him but smiled anyways. She paused a moment before speaking again. She could tell Sam was getting a little nervous at her wait time and she giggle.

"Of course! I would love to go to prom with you!" She was suddenly caught off by the hug Sam gave her. It was big and strong and it made her feel warmer than a thousand of his letterman jackets combined. He proceeded to pick her up and spin her around, causing Mercedes to panic but then laugh uncontrollably. When he set her down, she smacked him in the arm.

"What was that for?" he exclaimed.

"Don't try to pick me up again!"

"Why not?" he whined.

"Just don't, I don't want you to drop me!"

He step back offended,

"Do you not think I can handle the situation?"

"No," she said with a simple smirk.

"I accept."

"Accept what?"

"The challenge." Mercedes mouth fell open. _He was not serious…was he?_ She regretted saying anything in the first place, realizing that she would have to be on her guard from sneak attacks from Sam for pretty much the rest of her life. She groaned. Sam just laughed.

"Just remember: when you least expect it." Sam gave Mercedes another smile and she thought her legs had turned into jelly. Then Mercedes remembered that she was not prepared at all for prom and it was now two days away. She started to panic.

"Mercedes, what's wrong?"

"You can't take me to prom!" Sam was surprised and confused.

"Why not?"

"I don't have a dress! Nor any reservations for dinner! No tickets!"

"Chill out Mercy, I've got everything handled." Mercedes looked at his quizzically, feeling slightly assured by the confidence in his voice.

"Little bird?" she questioned.

"Yep." Mercedes took a breath in, closing her eyes, now feeling relaxed. She figured out the Kurt was his little bird, seeing as he was the only one who knew any of those things about her. She knew if Kurt had anything to do with this he would have everything under control. She knew she could always count on him. She opened her eyes looking at Sam, who was still smiling at her.

"Sam…honestly, this is—"

"Mercedes, you deserve it." The conviction in his voice made Mercedes breathless for a moment.

"And plus you had to deal with my corny rhyming."

"It was perfect," was all she could breathe out. She saw Sam blush and suddenly she felt her body reaching up on her tip toes. She placed his hands gently on his shoulders and leaned in to give him a kiss on the cheek. When she leaned back she saw the surprise on his face and she instantly regretted her decision, until he began to blush harder and touched his cheek where her lips had just been.

Sam stood stunned. Mercedes Jones had just kissed him and even though it was just on the cheek it felt glorious. He saw her tuck her head down and could tell she was embarrassed and assumed her cheeks were warm from being flushed. He pulled his hand down from his face and reached it out to her.

"Would you like to get something to eat?"

She quietly nodded her head and reached her hand out. He quickly pulled her in, picking her up.

"SAMUEL EVANS STOP IT RIGHT NOW!"

"Stop shaking or I will drop you!" She immediately stopped moving and she wrapped her arms around his neck, taking in his scent as Sam carried her, like _his_ bride, through the Ice Cream Shoppe door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: One of my readers gave me the idea for the scavenger, but I forgot who. I know that sounds awful, but if you know you gave me the idea let me know and I'll give you credit! <strong>


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